It has long been a problem to provide an effective night light for use by fishermen occupying small low-profile fishing boats, in particular boats commonly referred to as "bass boats."
Bass boats are typically constructed with very low sides. To accommodate occupants while fishing, a bass boat is normally provided with pivotal, pedestal-supported seats. The pedestals are mounted upon platforms formed near the upper portions of the boat sides commonly referred to as gunwales. Because of the low profile construction used in bass boats, the fisherman seated in the fishing seat is positioned well above the gunwales of the boat.
Thus it will be seen that when fishing at night from a bass boat, lights mounted in the sidewalls of the boat would effectively illuminate only the area below the gunwales of the boat. It is therefore necessary to provide an auxiliary lighting fixture capable of illuminating the area above the gunwales of the boat in order to illuminate the equipment being used by the fisherman. Such lighting is necessary to enable the fisherman to change lures or perform other necessary functions upon his equipment, while remaining in his seat. To be effective an auxiliary light must be rotatable so as to direct the light to the needed area and must be quickly and easily movable from one side of the boat to the other, or to alternate positions within the boat. A further requirement of such an auxiliary light is that it be firmly mounted to the boat so as to remain in place while the boat is underway at high speeds in water which is often quite rough.
Many attempts have been made to provide an effective auxiliary light to meet the needs of the night fisherman. For example, lights of this type have been marketed which bolt directly to the gunwales or walls of the boat. While such a mounting method is capable of holding the lights in place while the boat is underway, it is obvious that they cannot be easily moved from one location in the boat to another. Other mounting means have been tried, the most common being the use of suction cups. The suction cups are typically attached rigidly to the light fixture and are adapted to be removably stuck to the gunwales or sides of the boat. However, the suction cups have not proven to be effective since they are not easily moved nor are they capable of holding an auxiliary light in place under the severe vibration experienced while the boat is underway at high speeds in rough water.
In view of the foregoing discussion it will be apparent that existing bass boat auxiliary lighting systems do not provide a truly effective light which can be quickly redirected or moved, while fishing. Moreover, most prior art devices are not capable of remaining in place under the severe vibration conditions which often occur when underway at high speeds.
It is therefore the object of this invention to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings by providing a lighting system for a bass boat which may be quickly and easily directed and moved from one position to another within the boat, and is at the same time mounted so as to withstand the severe vibration often encountered in a boat of this type.